Separators are used to separate solids from liquids in oil-based and/or water-based drilling fluids, referred to as mud, that are retrieved from oilfield drilling operations. Such separators may have sifting and/or filtering screens to remove solids from a slurry. One type of apparatus used to separate solids from the mud is referred to in the industry as a shale shaker. The shale shaker, also known to as a vibratory separator, uses a sieve to accept used drilling mud to clean the mud for further use in drilling operations.
Mud serves multiple purposes in the oilfield services industry. For instance, mud acts as a lubricant to cool rotary drill bits and facilitate faster cutting rates. Further, dispersion of the mud around a drill string or otherwise in the wellbore assists in counterbalancing various pressures in subterranean formations. Various weighting and lubrication agents are mixed into the mud to obtain a desirable mixture for the type and construction of the rock formation to be drilled. Since the cost of mud can be expensive, drillers and service companies typically reclaim and reuse mud in drilling operations. Another purpose of the drilling mud is to carry rocks and/or cuttings from the drill bit to the surface.
Typically, shale shakers use sifting and/or filtration screens to separate cuttings from drilling fluid in on-shore and off-shore oilfield drilling operations. The shale shaker screens comprise a mesh stretched across a frame. The mesh allows fluid and/or particles smaller than a predetermined size to pass through the separating screen. Vibrational movement cause the cuttings to convey across the shale shaker and eventually wears and breaks the mesh of the screen. A small portion of the mesh may rip or break during use, thus replacing the entire screen to repair only a damaged section of the screen may be costly. As a result, plugs have been used to block a portion of the mesh having a rip or tear. Devices described herein may be utilized to plug or otherwise repair a damaged screen used in the oilfield and/or other industries.